Mary Berry - Mary Berrys Simple Comforts

Good food is one of the great joys of life. Cooking a superb meal is a wonderful way of expressing love and giving comfort and pleasure to family and friends. And you dont have to be a three-star chef. Comfort food should be easy to make and I like dishes that can be put together reasonably quickly without stress or too many ingredients. Ive done my best to make the recipes in this book as straightforward as possible.

The very words comfort food are like a big warm hug for most of us. Comfort food means different things to different people. For many, it will be a roast Sunday dinner that says family and togetherness. For others, it may be a perfect tomato salad that gives you the feeling of being in a sunlit Mediterranean caf, or a home-made cake that fills the house with tempting aromas as it bakes in the oven. You may associate comfort dishes with guilty pleasures such as chips and chocolate, but I believe that good food can be both comforting and perfectly healthy. Think of classic soups, for example, which are always so cheering. Try something hearty and warming in the colder months, such as the Warming Chicken Noodle Soup on ), which looks as good as it tastes and can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Food is for sharing and one of my favourite treats to share as a first course or a light lunch is burrata that wonderfully indulgent Italian cheese. Have a look at my recipe on . Theres a recipe for making wraps if you like, or you can buy them if youre short of time.

Perhaps the ultimate comfort meal for many of us is a roast chicken. Just the thought brings a smile to my face. My family loves it with all the trimmings in autumn and winter, or served with some beautiful salads on a summer day. A plain roast chicken is completely delicious but try my latest version on . You simply mix some butter with flavourings such as ginger, tarragon and lemon zest and spread it under the skin of the breast. Simple to do and then you just pop the chicken in the oven and wait for a feast!

I know chicken dishes are a great favourite in many families, so Ive included plenty of recipes here, such as Chicken Hot Pot with Potato Topping () in the oven and leave it to cook gently while you relax or enjoy a walk. You come back to a kitchen filled with savoury aromas and a splendid meal with the minimum of effort.

Another aspect of comfort food is the memories it evokes. My husband spent some of his life in Sri Lanka and always enjoys food that reminds him of those days, such as my Sri Lankan Chicken Curry ().

Some people are nervous about cooking fish, but in this book youll find plenty of fish dishes that are very easy to make. Try the Cod Goujons with Caper Herb Dip on ) is ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta.

I know that for many people baking is therapeutic and cheering. I am one of them! Whipping up a cake, a loaf of bread or some biscuits can lift the spirits no end even before you eat the results. In this book you will find some real treasures, from Focaccia with Olives, Tomatoes and Rosemary ().

Particularly when Im entertaining guests or expecting the family around, I like to make life easier by getting as much done as I can ahead of time. That way I can concentrate on people rather than getting stuck in the kitchen. For most of the recipes in this book Ive given advice on what elements you can prepare ahead. Some dishes are even better when made the day before eating! Ive also added tips of what can be cooked and stored in the freezer until needed very useful for busy times like Christmas or other celebrations. Dishes such as Mexican Chilli Con Carne () that can be cooked in the morning and then reheated and whipped out of the oven to delight your guests.

As always, Ive kept the recipes as clear and concise as possible and in this book, we have a glorious photograph of every dish to inspire you. I know that it is always helpful to have a picture to aspire to. Ive loved putting this collection of simple, comforting recipes together and I hope you get as much pleasure from them as I do.

Mary Berry

When youre using the recipes in this book, youre welcome to make little tweaks of your own. While its best to follow exact weights where these are given first time round, next time you make the recipes, you might like to use a bit more or a bit less of something to suit your taste. Equally, you might prefer to substitute one type of cheese for another in a recipe or use a different kind of fish or meat. Feel free to experiment.

• Both metric and imperial measures are provided. When youre weighing out ingredients, its best to go by one or the other never mix the two. (See also the Conversion Tables on .) Spoon measures are level unless otherwise stated.
• In recipes for cakes and other baked items, the ingredients need to be measured carefully. I find that digital scales are best for the purpose.
• For oven temperatures, the standard Centigrade measure is given first, followed by the fan temperature, 20 degrees less in each case. (See also the Conversion Tables on .) As ovens vary in the amount of heat they produce, you may need to cook a dish for slightly more or less time, depending on your own particular oven. It can be helpful to use an oven thermometer to gauge the correct temperature for cooking a dish.
• Try to buy the best-quality meat and fish that you can afford free range, in the case of meat, and sustainably sourced fish. Check with your fishmonger, or at the fish counter in your local supermarket, and use an alternative type of fish if you find that the kind you have selected is no longer on the sustainability list which changes according to fish stock levels.
• Where a type of cooking oil isnt specified, use any oil that you like, although its best to choose something relatively mild, such as sunflower oil, that wont overpower the flavour of the dish. For dressings, use the best-quality oil that you can afford, to give the most intense flavour.
• Use large eggs, unless otherwise stated free range, if possible. If you are vegetarian, you might prefer to use suitable cheeses that dont contain animal rennet.
• I use granulated sugar for general sweetening; caster sugar, which is finer, for baking; and icing sugar for icing. Light muscovado gives a great flavour and demerara creates delicious crunchy toppings and adds a fudgy flavour to cakes and puddings. All these sugars keep for long periods in sealed containers. If you find sugar becomes a solid block in the bag, store a clean, damp J-cloth in the bag to separate the grains.
• Modern milling techniques mean that it is not always necessary to sift flour. I always specify in a recipe where it is needed.